State Sen. Ted Lieu was brushing his teeth Thursday morning when his cellphone started buzzing — again and again.

Henry Waxman, the liberal lion and among the most powerful Democrats in Congress, had unexpectedly announced his retirement after nearly 40 years in Washington, D.C. The callers and texters wanted to know: Would he run?

After conferring with his wife, Lieu made the decision quickly. Yes, he would.

The Torrance Democrat made it official early Friday morning, sending out an email blast to media and supporters. In reality, Lieu knew even earlier that he would run in the 33rd Congressional District, having spent much of Thursday lining up endorsements from more than 25 well-known Democrats, including members of Congress like Alan Lowenthal and Maxine Waters, State Controller John Chiang and Los Angeles Councilman Mike Bonin.

“I am running because I love America,” Lieu said in an interview. “I came here as an immigrant. We were poor. We went to flea markets to sell gifts to make ends meet. Just the mere fact that I can be running for Congress is something that can only happen in a place like America. It’s such a wonderful country.”

The race to represent the sprawling district — it stretches along the coast from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Malibu and goes as far inland as Beverly Hills, Mid-City Los Angeles and Calabasas — will be fierce. In addition to spiritual guru and author Marianne Williamson and entertainment producer Brent Roske, who were already in the race, former Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel also has jumped in, telling reporters she plans to move into the district. Other possible candidates include California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, state Assemblyman Richard Bloom of Santa Monica and Bill Bloomfield, a Republican-turned-independent who challenged Waxman in 2012.

Waxman will step down in January 2015 when his term expires. The primary election is June 3, while the general election is Nov. 4. Under California’s primary system — known as Top 2 — the two candidates receiving the most votes advance to the general election regardless of political party. The final two challengers, then, could both be Democrats.

District registration tilts heavily Democratic, with 44 percent of registered voters in that column. About 28 percent are Republican and 23 percent are not affiliated with either party.

Lieu said he believes he has the edge because, as a state senator, he already represents more than 80 percent of the voters in the district. The areas he does not now represent are mostly in the northern area of the district — cities such as Malibu, Calabasas and Agoura Hills.

“If you look at the names of the candidates or people who are looking at running, I am the only one running who currently has a base,” Lieu said. “I believe in (former U.S. House) Speaker Tip O’Neill’s adage that all politics is local. And I am local.”

Lieu also is accustomed to the scramble that occurs when a legislative seat suddenly becomes vacant. In 2005, after serving as a Torrance City Council member, Lieu jumped into an Assembly race when incumbent Mike Gordon died in office, winning a special election. In 2011, after winning re-election twice, Lieu ran for state Senate after Sen. Jenny Oropeza died in office. He won that race, too, and was re-elected in 2012.

Darry Sragow, a Los Angeles attorney and longtime Democratic strategist, said Lieu will have some built-in advantage because he is familiar with the district. But he noted that residents, even those who have voted for Lieu in the past, may not know him all that well.

“By national standards, the name recognition of California state legislators is very low,” Sragow said. “Our legislative districts are very big. Politics is not at the top of most Californians’ minds when they wake up in the morning. Everything is relative. Ted, I’m sure, enters the race with a very solid base in the areas where he has represented the voters. But solid is a relative term.”

The top contenders probably will each have to raise more than $1 million, Sragow said. While Lieu should be able to raise that much, Sragow said, part of it will depend on which other candidates enter the race. Donors who have given to him in the past might also have supported Greuel, Bowen and Bloom in other races. Those donors eventually may have to choose one candidate to support.

“Ted is very smart,” Sragow said. “He is a wonderful public servant. He is somebody who clearly will be viable. The major obstacle that he faces is that at the moment the potential field consists of a lot of very good candidates with solid political bases. He is in a situation where he is not playing checkers. He is playing chess.”

Asked whether Lieu has a chance to win the race, Jessica Levinson, a political analyst and professor at Loyola Law School, said it is much too early to choose favorites.

“It is very difficult to handicap the race before we know everyone who is running,” she said in an email. “I think this is like a blue moon, an open seat in the 33rd Congressional District is rare indeed. There are a number of incumbent officials or former incumbents who, if they run, will be formidable candidates.”